School hope for orphan

Nabadwip, Jan. 28: The headmaster and teachers of a Nadia high school have decided to fund the education of an 11-year-old boy who stopped attending classes after his mother died.

The boy, who scored 72 per cent in his final exams, was promoted to Class VII in RCB Saraswat Mandir in Nabadwip, but had no option but to stop going to school when his mother died on December 21 last year, leaving him orphaned. The boy had lost his hawker father in an accident in Asansol last year.

On Friday, headmaster Bijan Kumar Saha called the boy to school and asked him to attend his new class. “We have decided to exempt him from all kinds of fees till Class XII. Other teachers have agreed to provide him reading and writing materials. We will help him in whatever way we can,” he said.

A local dance school — Kalangan — has also come forward to help the boy till his graduation. Neighbours prepare food for him.

In a state where the school dropout rate is much higher than in the country, such a gesture by teachers is quite encouraging.

The boy, who attended school today, said: “After my mother’s death, I had lost interest in studies. But now, my mother’s dream to see me as a teacher would come true. I am grateful to Saha sir and all those who have decided to help me.”

Headmaster Saha said: “I was shocked after hearing his plight. I could not accept that he would have to discontinue his studies because of lack of funds. He was a good student. So, I asked him to see me at school on Friday.”

A childless widow, who is a weaver, and another homemaker have decided to cook for the boy and provide him clothes. The orphan was left a tin-roofed hut by his mother.

“Now I cook for him as his mother did. I have no children and I will bring him up like my son,” the weaver said.